The lenient sentence for a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria for child abuse sparked criticism on social media.
The court sentenced a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria to three years probation and a fine of 20,000 rubles for the systematic abuse of her teenage daughter. Other residents of the republic, commenting on the verdict on social media, were outraged by the conditional punishment for violence against a child and questioned why the mother was not deprived of parental rights and where the father was during the abuse.
According to the case materials, the resident of Kabardino-Balkaria repeatedly applied violence against her daughter. In April 2021, she pulled the mobile phone from the girl and hit her on the head with it, after which she smashed the device against the wall. On another occasion, the mother pushed her daughter, causing her to injure her finger. In December 2025, the woman struck the child multiple times with her hands and wrapped her hands around her neck, simulating strangulation.
In court, the woman admitted her guilt and expressed remorse, explaining that she hit her daughter "for educational purposes." During the investigation, she stated that she often was not home because she worked in another region. During one of her absences, the girl poisoned herself with medication. The school learned about the incident, and then juvenile inspectors did as well. The woman was sentenced to three years probation and a fine of 20,000 rubles, reported "Gazeta Yuga" on October 23.
The post about the sentence for the resident of Kabardino-Balkaria for abusing her daughter was published by the Instagram* public nalchiiknews, which has about 102.2 thousand followers. As of 07:50 Moscow time on October 26, this post received 64 likes and 25 comments.
Residents of the republic considered the imposed punishment insufficient to protect the child. "How is this probation? No way," wrote ritta_0702. "Is the court waiting until she finally kills her?" asked 8580sus.
"Why weren't parental rights revoked? Why doesn't the court side with the child? There was once a story in a family of my relatives: the children's father served time for murder, the children were under guardianship, yet the court did not revoke the father's parental rights, even though the Family Code states that if one parent harms the health of close relatives (I'm speaking in general terms), it can be read literally, the father is deprived of parental rights. So I'm not surprised: the court turns a blind eye to everything," stated zeligotovaaleksandra65.
Other participants in the discussion noted the absence of information about the girl's father in the message. "Where is the girl's father?" asked donna_principessa. "Where was the child's father at that time?" wrote slu_anast.
A separate debate arose about the permissibility of physical punishment in child-rearing. "Oh, how my mom used to hit us, and I'm grateful to her for that! I'm an absolutely free person. I speak several languages, I'm far from nationalism and racism, I can find common ground with anyone," wrote y_m_ingushetia.
"So this method of upbringing suits you, and you plan to apply it to your children? Is it impossible to master languages and be a good person without it?" retorted ok.sunsh.03.
"Most children of the Soviet era were beaten with hands, hoses, and whatever else was available. Parents of that time could not cope with the burden for various reasons and took out their despair on their children. This was the norm. But, on the other hand, children could not be broken either in kindergarten (constantly losing teeth and hair in fights behind the children's veranda and in the sandbox) or in school. There was no bullying, there were no cameras, and everything was resolved simply: you fought back, and that was it. Now there is a 'cult of children,' and as a result, terrible statistics," expressed el_mashkova.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that cases of violence against children periodically become known in Kabardino-Balkaria. For example, in July 2021, information emerged about a resident of the Chegem district accused of systematically beating her nine-year-old son. The boy photographed his bruises and sent the pictures to his father, who came and took him away. Before the criminal case was initiated, the guardianship authorities had no information about problems in the family. Lawyers criticized the passivity of supervisory authorities and pointed out that the protection of children should not depend solely on the receipt of complaints.